Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - Kultur-, Sozial- und Bildungswissenschaftliche Fakultät - Institut für Asien- und Afrikawissenschaften

 

Dear all,

in joint cooperation with Blaues Haus Stiftung, BCCN welcomes the podcaster Kou Aizhe from Gushi FM at the Humboldt University Berlin on Monday, August 18th!

Let Ordinary Voices Be Heard: Nonfiction Storytelling through the Podcast "Gushi FM"
August 18th, 2025, 6pm - 8pm

@ Seminar for East Asian Studies, Johannisstraße 10, 10117 Berlin, Room 201

Event Info on BCCN Website

 

Gushi FM (Story FM)

In China's complex and saturated media landscape, Gushi FM stands out as an unlikely success story. After starting in 2017, Gushi FM is now one of China's most popular podcasts.

In each episode, Gushi FM features an individual telling a story from his or her own point of view. Experiences of adventure and the strange feature among the more than four hundred episodes to date, but more common are stories of love and loss, hardship and compromise, or simply coming to terms with life in a changing China. 

One man tells of a lifetime of separation from his father in Cuba, while another explains his childhood on boats on the Yangtze. A woman tells of her mother's experience as a Vietnamese bride in rural China. Dancers talk about the frisson and passion in an underground club, while five people talk about life under the Wuhan lockdown. Many talk about people and situations now lost to the past. Together, these stories represent a remarkable window on experiences from across the country and on the vagaries of the human condition.

Speaker: Kou Aizhe is the creator of Gushi FM. He previously worked as a journalist in Chinese media and with Swedish and Canadian broadcasters. In this event, Kou Aizhe will talk about his work with Gushi FM and how he tells these stories in his podcasts.

Introduction by Zou Sicong (Blaues Haus Stiftung).

The Blaues Haus Stiftung is a non-profit foundation under civil law in the Federal Republic of Germany, established in 2022 in Hanover. Its mission is to support researchers, writers, and creators, and to promote culture, arts, education, and international understanding. With a strong international orientation, the foundation seeks to foster cross-cultural, cross-regional, and intergenerational exchange and collaboration.

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Merle Groneweg
Humboldt University of Berlin
Department for East Asian Studies
China Competence Training Center (CCTC)
Johannisstr. 10
10117 Berlin